Al Mar Knives
Encyclopedia
Al Mar Knives is a production knife
company headquartered in Tualatin
, Oregon
, United States. Al Mar Knives was established in 1979 by Al Mar, and has a reputation for making tactical knives of innovative design. While headquartered in the United States, Al Mar Knives are made in Japan.
in Pasadena, California
. His masters thesis was building and launching a working 2 man submarine, upon graduating he went to work for an industrial design firm in Los Angeles in 1967.
Mar went on to become a packaging designer and eventually the head of knife design for Gerber Legendary Blades in 1968. Gerber's head designer had retired and Pete Gerber gave Mar the task of coming up with an aluminum handle for a kitchen knife. Gerber thought the project was very successful and offered Mar the position of design chief.
In 1979, Mar left Gerber to form his own company: Al Mar Knives. The knives were manufactured in Seki City
, Japan in a 1000 year-old sword making facility; Al Mar knives have been made by the firms of Sakai, Fujita and Hattori.
Al Mar died in 1992 from an aneurysm and the company is headed by Gary Fadden who purchased controlling interest. In 2009, Al Mar was inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame
.
and kendo
, and his service as a Green Beret, the majority of Al Mar Knives were initially designed for the military and law enforcement communities. However, as the company evolved the designs merged from martial to hunting, fishing, and even kitchen knives.
The Al Mar SERE Knife was the first knife accepted for use by Special Forces Colonel Nick Rowe
for the SERE Instructor School at Camp McCall, North Carolina. The SERE was the first factory-made production knife to sell for over US$100.
, Nick Rowe, Bob Taylor, Bill Harsey, Jr., and ABS Mastersmith
Kirk Rexroat.
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
company headquartered in Tualatin
Tualatin, Oregon
Tualatin is a city located primarily in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. A small portion of the city is also located in neighboring Clackamas County. It is a southwestern suburb in the Portland Metropolitan Area that is located south of Tigard...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States. Al Mar Knives was established in 1979 by Al Mar, and has a reputation for making tactical knives of innovative design. While headquartered in the United States, Al Mar Knives are made in Japan.
Al Mar
Al Mar was born in the US, a son of Chinese immigrants. Mar joined the US Army after completing college and became a First Group Special Forces officer who served in Vietnam prior to 1960. After serving in the Army, Mar earned a Masters Degree in Industrial Design from Art Center College of DesignArt Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...
in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. His masters thesis was building and launching a working 2 man submarine, upon graduating he went to work for an industrial design firm in Los Angeles in 1967.
Mar went on to become a packaging designer and eventually the head of knife design for Gerber Legendary Blades in 1968. Gerber's head designer had retired and Pete Gerber gave Mar the task of coming up with an aluminum handle for a kitchen knife. Gerber thought the project was very successful and offered Mar the position of design chief.
In 1979, Mar left Gerber to form his own company: Al Mar Knives. The knives were manufactured in Seki City
Seki, Gifu
is a city located in Gifu, Japan.The city was founded on October 15, 1950.On February 7, 2005, the municipalities of Horado, Itadori, Kaminoho, Mugegawa and Mugi, all part of Mugi District, were merged into the present-day city...
, Japan in a 1000 year-old sword making facility; Al Mar knives have been made by the firms of Sakai, Fujita and Hattori.
Al Mar died in 1992 from an aneurysm and the company is headed by Gary Fadden who purchased controlling interest. In 2009, Al Mar was inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame
Blade (magazine)
Blade is a long-running consumer magazine about knife collecting.First published in 1973 under the title American Blade by Southern House Publishing Co. with Blackie Collins as the editor, the magazine's title was changed to Blade in 1982 after its purchase by Jim Parker and Bruce Voyles...
.
Company history
With the founding of Al Mar Knives, Mar is considered the father of specialty custom/production cutlery and led the way for the trends within the cutlery industry for using custom quality and design in a mass-produced knife. Drawing on his experiences as a lifelong martial artist with black belt rankings in judoJudo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
and kendo
Kendo
, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
, and his service as a Green Beret, the majority of Al Mar Knives were initially designed for the military and law enforcement communities. However, as the company evolved the designs merged from martial to hunting, fishing, and even kitchen knives.
The Al Mar SERE Knife was the first knife accepted for use by Special Forces Colonel Nick Rowe
James N. Rowe
James Nicholas "Nick" Rowe was a United States Army officer and one of only thirty-four American prisoners of war to escape captivity during the Vietnam War...
for the SERE Instructor School at Camp McCall, North Carolina. The SERE was the first factory-made production knife to sell for over US$100.
Colaborations
Al Mar Knives has collaborated with a number of knife makers, martial artists, and military tacticians including Rex ApplegateRex Applegate
Rex Applegate was an American military officer who worked for the Office of Strategic Services, where he trained Allied special forces personnel in close-quarters combat during World War II. He held the rank of colonel....
, Nick Rowe, Bob Taylor, Bill Harsey, Jr., and ABS Mastersmith
American Bladesmith Society
The American Bladesmith Society or ABS is an non-profit organization composed of knifemakers whose primary function is to promote the techniques of forging steel blades. The ABS was founded by Knifemaker William F...
Kirk Rexroat.